Chasing Legends

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Wins have propelled Columbia-Highroad up the UCI world ranking

Results

There were no major shakeups in the overall world ranking following Sunday’s conclusion of the Tour de Suisse.

Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) remains atop the leader board of the individual ranking, with no changes in the top 5. Damiano Cunego (Lampre) jumped from 15th to sixth and Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) from 27th to ninth.

Caisse d’Epargne retained its lead in the team rankings, but Columbia-Highroad made a big move to surge into second place.

Columbia-Highroad has risen to second overall after a spectacularly successful Tour of Switzerland, when the team took no fewer than six stage wins out of a possible nine, as well as finishing second overall with Tony Martin, ninth with Kim Kirchen and 10th with Maxime Monfort.

The Spaniards picked up just two points in the Swiss stage race, and have 680. Columbia-Highroad scored 83 and is now in second place with 614. Cervélo led the series earlier this year and are close behind in third with 611.

The new-fangled world rankings include events in the UCI ProTour and the historical calendar, but not other races in the European or international schedule.

Columbia-Highroad is by far the most successful team to date, and the new ranking system doesn’t reflect results from other races.

Through this weekend’s Tour de Suisse, Columbia-Highroad has won 45 races so far in the 2009 season, with Katusha and Saxo Bank tied with 18 apiece.

The team also won six of nine stages at the Swiss tour, with 15 riders sharing the spoils among the 45 victories. Sprinters Mark Cavendish and André Greipel boast half of that total, with 13 wins for Cavendish and 10 for Greipel.